On Russia’s List for Sanctions, and Proud of It

By David S. Joachim

March 20, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia might have hoped that American lawmakers and officials targeted for “reciprocal sanctions” on Thursday would respond with fear or outrage. Instead, the reaction was more like a synchronized spit-take combined with a bipartisan declaration of pride unseen since President Richard M. Nixon assembled his enemies list.

“Proud to be included,” Speaker John A. Boehner said.

“Badge of honor,” said Senator Mary L. Landrieu, who leads the energy committee.

“If standing up for the Ukrainian people, their freedom, their hard-earned democracy and sovereignty means I’m sanctioned by Putin, so be it,” said Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

They were among the nine Americans issued travel restrictions by the Russian Foreign Ministry in retaliation for multiple rounds of Western sanctions against Russian officials over the country’s annexation of Crimea.

Others on the list ridiculed the notion that they would be inconvenienced by the travel ban. “I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen,” said Senator John McCain of Arizona.

Senator Dan Coats, the Indiana lawmaker who co-sponsored a Senate resolution condemning Russia’s use of its military in Ukraine, said in a Twitter post: “While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to go on vacation with my family to Siberia this summer, I am honored to be on this list.”

The list also includes Benjamin J. Rhodes and Caroline Atkinson, both deputy national security advisers, and Dan Pfeiffer, a senior adviser to President Obama.

As if to underscore the mismatch between the Russian and American sets of sanctions, Standard & Poor’s downgraded Russia’s credit rating on Thursday, citing the Western sanctions as one reason. The United States’s credit rating was unchanged.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: On Russia’s List in Washington, and Proud of It. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe